Τι κρύβει το «American Pie» του Μακ Λην, τη μέρα που πέθανε η μουσική!
Το "American Pie", του Μακ Λην, αναφέρεται στη μέρα που πέθανε η μουσική (Μπάντι Χόλι, Ρίτσι Βάλενς, Τζ. Ρίτσαρντσον), η ερμηνεία που έδωσε ο δημιουργός του.
Η επανειλημμένα φράση «την ημέρα που πέθανε η μουσική» αναφέρεται στο αεροπορικό δυστύχημα , που συνέβη το 1959 και σκότωσε τους νεαρούς αστέρες του ροκ εν ρολ Μπάντι Χόλι, Ρίτσι Βάλενς και Τζ. Π. Ρίτσαρντσον. Βρισκόταν σε ένα τσάρτερ ταξιδεύοντας σε περιοδεία. Οι καιρικές συνθήκες ήταν άσχημες, με αποτέλεσμα ο πιλότος του αεροσκάφους να χάσει τον έλεγχο και να σκοτωθούν οι τέσσερις επιβάτες.
Το νόημα των άλλων στίχων του Μακ Λιν, παραπέμπουν σε πολλά από τα ταραχώδη γεγονότα και τις κοινωνικές αλλαγές που βιώθηκαν κατά τη διάρκεια αυτής της περιόδου. Ο McLean αρνήθηκε επανειλημμένα να εξηγήσει τον συμβολισμό πίσω από τους πολλούς χαρακτήρες και τα γεγονότα που αναφέρθηκαν."Είναι πέρα από ανάλυση. Είναι ποίηση." δήλωσε σε σχετική ερώτηση.
Τον Φεβρουάριο του 2015, όμως , ανακοίνωσε ότι θα αποκάλυπτε το νόημα των στίχων του τραγουδιού όταν το αρχικό χειρόγραφο βγήκε σε δημοπρασία στη Νέα Υόρκη. Πουλήθηκαν για 1,2 εκατομμύρια δολάρια.
Και η αποκάλυψε: "Βασικά στο "American Pie" τα πράγματα πάνε προς τη λάθος κατεύθυνση. Η ζωή γίνεται λιγότερο ειδυλλιακή. Δεν ξέρω είτε το θεωρείς λάθος είτε σωστό, αλλά είναι ένα τραγούδι ηθικής κατά μια έννοια». Επιβεβαίωσε μερικές από τις πιο γνωστές αναφορές στους στίχους του τραγουδιού, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των αναφορών του Έλβις Πρίσλεϋ ("ο βασιλιάς"("the jester"), και ότι το τραγούδι κορυφώνεται με μια περιγραφή του θανάτου της Meredith Hunter στο Altamont Free Concert , δέκα χρόνια μετά το αεροπορικό δυστύχημα που σκότωσε τους Holly, Valens και Richardson.
Το 2017, ο Bob Dylan ρωτήθηκε για το πώς αναφέρθηκε στο τραγούδι. "Ένας γελωτοποιός; Σίγουρα, ο γελωτοποιός γράφει τραγούδια όπως " Masters of War ", " A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall ", " It's Alright, Ma " - κάποιος γελωτοποιός. Πρέπει να πιστεύω ότι μιλάει για κάποιον άλλο. Ρωτήστε τον. "
Ο τίτλος του τραγουδιού είναι και αναφορά στη μηλόπιτα , ένα ανεπίσημο σύμβολο των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών και ένα από τα παραδοσιακά φαγητά άνεσης. Μέχρι τον εικοστό αιώνα, αυτό είχε γίνει σύμβολο της αμερικανικής ευημερίας και εθνικής υπερηφάνειας.
Το American Pie κυκλοφόρησε το 1971.
Oι στίχοι
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance that I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
So bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
Did you write the book of love, and do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock and roll, can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
Now for ten years we've been on our own, and moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
A quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
Helter skelter in a summer swelter, the birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass, the players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
We started singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
Oh, and there we were all in one place, a generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
I started singin' it
Singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
I met a girl who sang the blues, and I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets, the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
They were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' This'll be the day that I die"
